


Queen of Eternity

by ETNMystic



Series: Our Eternity Together [7]
Category: Escape the Night (Web Series)
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-04-21
Updated: 2019-11-28
Packaged: 2020-01-23 03:23:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 13
Words: 11,953
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18541291
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ETNMystic/pseuds/ETNMystic
Summary: Having been taken captive by the psycho dollmaker and evil Penelope, Mystic finds herself being put under Various Forms of Dark magic.





	1. The Sewers

I awoke with a start, finding myself on a cobblestone floor.

A cold cobblestone floor.

A DARK AND COLD cobblestone floor.

I felt something light and flowy on my body. Looking down I stared at the white gown (of course it's white. IT'S ALWAYS WHITE.) that was now on me. Whirling around, I noticed that Plant Boi was still passed out. I grabbed his arms and started shaking him.

“-hey! HEY!! Envy, snap out of it-“

“There you are, at last," a voice gasped  ~~lovingly~~  obsessively.

I didn't WANT to turn around. I didn't WANT to see who was behind me. I KNEW who was behind me, and I didn't WANT to acknowledge who it was, but I had to. So I turned around, and there he was, Mr. Stalkerman himself: the Cursed God.

“I've been waiting for ages for your return. Your absence itself was torturous, agonizingly so, my innocent flower."

He reached out a hand to stroke my cheek in affection, and I flinched twice. Once when he caressed my cheek. The second when he grabbed my hands.

“But now that you have found your way to me once more, this time, I  **swear**  that we will never ever be parted."

I felt like I was gonna be sick.

“-And the same goes for us as well…”

That silky soft voice nearby Envy, the one who had been harassing me in my hotel bedroom. It seemed to set him off somehow. He lunged at Calvin and I winced as I heard a neck snap. I screamed as Calvin dropped to the ground.

"Holy shit!" I exclaimed in fright.

"Uh, uh, uh," the Cursed God scolded petting my head slowly.  
"Such a sweet and innocent bride never uses such vulgar language. But don't worry. I have ways of making sure you forget them forever."

I began to tremble. The red-headed woman leaned into Envy, looking incredibly disappointed as she pulled out another stone.

“I wish Calvin was alive and well…for the umpteenth time in the span of ten minutes," she huffed  
“…You absolutely despise him, don’t you?”

Before Envy could respond, electricity surged, the stone disintegrated-

And Calvin's neck re-aligned itself with a loud  **snap,** causing me to cringe at the mere sound.

“…Miss Divola, thank you very much for the assistance," he replied before indicating to Envy.  
“That one is a regular wildcat, but I should be able to have him tamed soon.

She raised an eyebrow incredulously.

"I wish you the best of luck," she scoffed.

The Cursed God, too, seemed a bit skeptical. And even I was skeptical. Envy seemed to be hiding some of his strength, at least that was the impression I was getting. But he looked pretty happy with himself, so I wasn't about to ruin this for him. But there was another emotion apparent; fear. Pure, unaltered fear.   

“…Mystic, my dearest," the Cursed God purred as he stroked my hands.  
"Perhaps you and I should retreat to another room."

“No!”

It was practically a scream. All of a sudden, he yanked my arm nearly out of the socket and held me close, his scream dissolving into a fearful whimper.

“Don’t…please…Please don’t leave me."

This guy......this was the guy who probably five or ten minutes ago, I thought was on their side. Who I thought was a ruthless killer or at the very least a spy for them. Now he was cowering in fear like a little kid lost in a mall. 

"Let him go," I declared.  
"You can take me. I'll marry you. Whatever. But over my dead body is this guy gonna suffer because of the choices I made."

They stared at me, almost blankly, for a few moments.

"So," Calvin seethed.  
"You want to ruin my happiness, is that what you're saying?"

"Yes," I asserted as I stood up, facing him.   
"Because your own happiness, if that's what you're calling it, shouldn't cause others to experience trauma!"

"He's fine with it."

"Is that so? Did you ever ask him?"

"No, I simply know."

I glanced to Envy in the hopes that he'd back me up, but he looked scared speechless. 

"That's not the vibe I got when he snapped your neck."

"He merely has..........exotic interests."

"No, he's terrified of you! And quite frankly, so am I. No sane person would kill someone and turn them into a doll for their own twisted pleasure."

"I am a perfectionist," he clipped.  
"Of the highest degree."

"You're demented! Those 'dolls' were once real people." 

"Perfectionism often demands sacrifice."

At this point, I was tired of this bullshit. Shaking my head, I turned on my heels and snatched up Envy, pulling him as I ran.

"Get back here.  **We're**  not finished yet!" the woman snapped.

"Well, both of  **us**  are!" I yelled as we turned a corner. 

I could hear their footsteps advancing on us, but I still kept on running as Envy tried to keep up with my pulling. After a few more turns. 

"C'mon, pick up your feet," I told him. 

"Stop for a second then."

"I can't. If we stop for even a single second, it could be the end of us. Where the hell even are we?"

I came face-to-face with a wall and took a left. I kept having to go through twists and turns until I realized where we were.

"I don't care if you're there for weeks!" I heard the Cursed God roar in fury.  
"Search the entire labyrinth, and don't come back without my bride!"

I skidded to a halt as I found myself at a four-way intersection. 

"Damn it," I whispered irritatedly.  
"Where do we go now?" 

"You're the hero of this," Envy snipped back.  
"You make the choice."

"That's what I've been trying to do this whole damn time, but everyone keeps trying to make decisions for me!"

"What the hell do you mean?"

"Try being autistic," I growled.  
"I'm almost twenty-fucking-one years old and----"

The footsteps were becoming louder.

"Shit," I spat as I veered to the left.

"And what?" Envy wondered impatiently as I kept following my gut, taking the first turn my instincts told me to take.

"And people still see me as incapable compared to others."

"It can't be that bad."

"I swear that if we weren't on the run, I'd strangle you with your own vines. It IS that fucking bad. I got out of extended guardianship  **just less than a year ago**."

"But aren't you supposed to be considered independent at 18?"

"You see now?"

He was silent for a few moments, presumably due to sheepishness.

"How bad was the guardianship?"

"Admittedly, it could've been worse," I panted.  
"But it made going to the campus clinic a pain in the ass. I'll explain later. Right now, how do we get out of here?"

My legs were beginning to throb, but my fight-or-flight instincts were still in full gear, as Envy shook his head.

"I.....I don't know. I've never been in this place."

All of a sudden, I saw a handle on the floor. Immediately I dropped to the ground and pulled at it. It was stuck shut tight. 

"Damn it!" I grumbled as Envy began to panic.

"Hurry, they're getting closer!"

"I'm trying!"

Finally, I pulled it open and dropped down where I was greeted with a fizzling sound and a rush of pain. Immediately I grabbed onto a bar on the ceiling and tried to pull myself up as I looked down. Below me was a steaming, sizzling, rancid, neon green substance that made my eyes water. Envy, meanwhile, had dropped down was using some mint-green gel on the sides of the trap door.

"Grab on!" I told Envy, my feet still throbbing from being nearly dissolved to nothing.  
"The floor's covered with some sort of acid. What's that?"

"Dew Glue," he explained as he placed his feet on the ladder.  
"This should keep the door shut for a while."

"Wait. How are you hanging on?"

"Dew Glue. Now go!"

I struggled for a bit to get myself to orient to this strange arrangement.

Stay calm, Mystic. It's just like climbing a ladder, but horizontally. 

I found myself going rather slow at first, nearly slipping several times. But after a while I managed to get the hang of it. And just in time too, as I heard the door being pulled at above us, as well as Calvin and the lady talking.

"There's no way they could be down there, right?" the lady panicked.

"If it does end up being case, we need to get them out of there," Calvin answered.  
"The vault is down there. And if Mystic is as intelligent as I've heard, she'll be able to crack it wide open."

"Well, keep pulling then."

The vault? Determined I kept moving.

"Can't you just use those stones to get them out?"

"You idiot! You know the ashes would dissolve if we use them on anything or anyone in the sewers. We need to keep the ashes to feed to Mystic. That's what the Cursed God said."

"What's he ever done for us? If I had it my way, Mystic would be nothing more than a doll in my collection. A special one, but a doll nonetheless. And if Envy'd stayed with me, I could've instead triggered that gene and all of Mystic's friends would've been slaughtered in a matter of minutes."

A moment of silence.

"You are incredibly morbid."

"You're trying to feed this girl ashes, Lilith, and yet I'M the morbid one."

"And the lazy one! KEEP PULLING, YOU BASTARD!"

I scrambled along the sewers, trying not to black out from the sensory hell that was the acidic sewage. My arms began to ache and so did my back. I could feel myself about to give out, but then I'd hear a fizzle as a bead of sweat dropped into the sewage and I'd have to keep moving. However, the sweat was also accumulating in my hands, making it difficult to get a grip. One at a time, I wiped my hands on my dress and grabbed the next rung. 

"How long is this?" I huffed. 

"Your guess is as good as mine," he shrugged. 

"At this point, I'm just willing to fall into the acid," I admitted angrily.  
"What can they do? They can't use any wishes on me or anything in the sewers."

"Wait," Envy exclaimed.   
"There's a landing just up ahead."

Hearing this I scurried over, and sure enough, I saw a safe place to drop. I fell to my feet, with one of the shoes and the outer layer of skin on my foot either being dissolved or dead. I winced as I landed on it, tears coming to my eyes. I felt hopeless when suddenly out of the corner of my eye, I saw a ladder, a normal one. Grabbing Envy, I scurried up and pushed open the golden grate, feeling relieved, but that relief was short-lived when I saw where I was and who I was with.

"Hello, hello, hello," the Cursed God purred, smirking triumphantly.


	2. Borrowed Time

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Well, someone might die.

"Well, well, well," he chuckled as we emerged.  
"It's as I've said. True loves always find their way to each other."

As quick as I could, I tried to get back down, but a cloak of darkness surrounded it. Switching to Plan B, I limped over to the throne room doors, flinging them open, only to find all of his hench-people/creatures, including Lilith and Calvin. 

_Shit._

Envy and I were surrounded with no teastones, none of the others, nothing. But I was still not prepared to give up. I whirled around to face the Cursed God.

"I......will never....love you," I hissed infuriated while struggling through the pain in my foot.

"That will change," he told me matter-of-factly before noticing my pain. 

Using his magic, he brought me to his side and saw my foot. And the second he laid eyes on it, I saw fear and anger in his face. 

"Who did this to you, my darling?" he growled.

Immediately he whirled on Lilith and Calvin.

"You two let her go into the acid tunnel?!" he roared with fire. 

"That plant creature sealed the door leading to it," Lilith explained matter-of-factly. 

Now he turned on Envy. 

"If you weren't so useful to us," he fumed.  
"I would've had you turned into mulch for this!"

"It's NOT his fault," I piped up.

He whirled on me and his expression softened as he pet my head gently, sending a tingle down my body.

"Sweetheart, you simply don't know what you're saying," he purred condescendingly as I cringed.  
"My poor, innocent, little lamb. That acidic sewage must've corrupted your brain. That, and the acid tunnels."

I looked to Envy as if to further my point of how people always seem to underestimate me. 

"Then what the hell's the other 'acidic sewage'?" I ventured to ask.

"Those people you call your friends. Well, except for sweet Rosanna. I'd be more than happy to let her stay with you if it will make you happy."

Before I could respond, he snapped his fingers and the cute little muffin appeared before us. 

"What.....what's going on?" she asked confused.

"Ro!" I practically cried as I leapt off of the throne and tried to run to her.

I still felt the burn of my foot, though. With a yelp of pain, I fell to the floor. Both Ro and the Cursed God rushed to my aid.

"What happened?" Ro gasped as she saw my foot.

"She's had her outer layer of skin eaten away by the acid tunnels," the Cursed God explained.  
"And her brain by the acidic sewage she calls her friends."

"Leave them alone!" Ro ordered firmly.

"But not you," he added softening his tone as he reached out to pet her.  
"You're a gentle, innocent soul. I trust you'll keep her safe and pure."

"Don't touch her," I snapped quickly and loudly, causing him to jerk his hand back.  
"She's not marrying you, so she shouldn't have to suffer the same fate."

"And our friends are NOT acidic sewage!" Ro retorted gently.

"For now they are," the Cursed God chuckled as he ushered us back to the throne.  
"But once we capture them, we'll turn them into concubines, slaves, soldiers, servants, everything a queen of eternity deserves and more."

"Are you sure you trust this girl?" Lilith doubted.  
"Looks can be deceiving."

"I do," he snapped without hesitation, causing Lilith to shrink back into the crowd.   
"She is the purest amongst them. Why, if I hadn't discovered sweet Mystic, she might have been my bride instead."

I shivered at the mere thought. Ro having to suffer the same fate as I was having to go through now? I feel like that'd be even worse.

"My lord," Nicholas coughed.  
"Now that we have Mystic, you kinda promised me a bride of my own."

"Of course, of course," the Cursed God assured him with a chuckle.   
"I haven't forgotten. But first we need to purify my love even further. I believe an angel bath will do the trick."

"Oh hell no," I shook my head as I yeeted myself off of the throne.   
"I'm not going through some sort of purification ritual. Nope. No thanks. Goodbye."

Once again I tried to move, but the pain still surged through my foot. 

"The angel bath will also heal your foot in no time at all."

He then pointed at Envy. 

"And give this one a bath laced with chlorophyll. We need a strong and healthy topiary and soldier."

"I'll give him the bath," Calvin purred.

"Absolutely not," I asserted.  
"If I HAVE to get this angel bath or whatever, Envy's NOT getting a bath from Dr. Drevis here!"

I could tell on pretty much everyone's faces that they had no idea what I was talking about; if only Laurenzside or Pewdiepie or Markiplier were there. They'd know. 

"Fine," Lilith sighed, with a little hint of a smirk.  
"I'll make sure he doesn't if you let ME bathe you."

I blinked in confusion and she giggled.

"I know the proper way to give the angel bath. You'll reap the most benefits from me doing it."

I had a strong feeling that I wasn't gonna get out of this angel bath regardless of who was bathing who, but I wasn't about to let Envy get turned into a doll quite yet, if at all.

"Sure," I sighed reluctantly.  
"You can give me the angel bath."

Lilith then turned to Ro.

"Would you be willing to give this one his chlorophyll bath?"

"I'm afraid I don't know how," Ro answered politely.

"There's an instruction manual. If you would follow me, I'll show you where the baths are."

Ro, gently, took ahold of Envy, and Lilith grabbed me by the shoulders, but I was still stumbling. Belle, noticing this, came rushing out of the crowd and helped support my other side as Sandra and Debra followed.

"Thank you," I whispered to Belle as we were led away from the throne room.

* * *

Meanwhile, Penelope awoke from a slumber on the floor with a start to find Matt and Safiya staring down at her, a panicked expression on their faces.

"What.....what is it?"

She whirled around.

"Where is Mystic?"

"Calvin and this red-haired version of you came and took her and Envy."

Hearing the phrase "red-haired version of you," Penelope stood up and fury filled her eyes.

"So old foe, we cross paths again," she fumed. 

Immediately she went into leader mode, waking up the writers.

"Get up!" she barked.  
"We have a mission to fulfill."

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Alice carrying a bowl of something. Discreetly she decided to follow her. 

"Get them ready," she ordered Matt and Safiya.  
"I have some business to attend to."

She followed her down to the third floor where she entered room 6. 

_Candy Pop's room....._

She peeked through to find her pouring something down his throat.

"What in the name of sanity are you doing?" she clipped.

Alice jumped and let go of the bowl. It fell and shattered against the floor. 

"I.....I got the wishblossom. Gave it to him.....Penelope, I think he's dying! But this is gonna save him, right?"

"Was it the regular wishblossom?"

Confusion crossed Alice's face as she nodded. Seeing this Penelope pursed her lips.

"It's gonna save him, right?" she practically screamed.

Penelope turned away and bowed her head.

"Alice, I'm so sorry to be the bearer of tragedy......but.....but....."

"But what?!"

She sighed.

"Well, you see, there's something I never told you about the teastones; there is such a thing as dark teastones, ones that were normal originally, but then corrupted by the Cursed God, therefore there is such a thing as a dark wish blossom. Do you know the difference?"

Alice shook her head.

"The teastones I showed you...they're comprised of light," her voice began to quiver.  
"Only beings of the light realm or of the earthly realm can safely use them. By contrast, the dark teastones can only be safely used by beings of a darker nature, being such as........a demon."

She gestured to Candy Pop, and Alice's face pallored.

"So then.....what happens if......?" Alice began nervously.

Penelope took a deep breath.

"Well.....if someone of the dark realm......ingested something......comprised of light.......they would......"

She trailed off, unable to get herself to finish the sentence.

"They would what?"

There was no answer, but there was no need for one to begin with. Alice began to panic.

"No...." she giggled fearfully, shaking her head.  
"No, it's not gonna......you're not saying he will......."

Penelope attempted to remain stoic, but Alice's tone was becoming more and more desperate and it was painful to hear. She flinched slightly as Alice whirled her around and shook her.

"Penelope, answer me! Please!" she demanded tearfully.  
"There's gotta be a way we can save him."

Finally she responded with a deep breath.

"There......is......." she responded slowly.  
"To counteract the effects of using a normal teastone, you would need to use two dark teastones. So that would mean.......we need two dark wishblossoms."

"Then let's get them. I can use my memory magic---"

"No," Penelope clipped.  
"Memory magic is limited. You have never seen a dark teastone, let alone a dark wishblossom. I'm sorry, but the only way to get it is........is......"

Alice gestured as if to say "go on."

"To go to the source of the one who mutated them; we have to go to the lair of the Cursed God."


	3. Attempted Rejuvenation

After a fairly long stint of walking, and eventually using a dark teastone to take us there, we were at the baths.

"Why are you helping me?" I whispered to Belle.  
"I thought you and your sisters despised innocent people."

"We do," Sandra scoffed.  
"But it'll be fun to see if we can corrupt you after this."

"It'll certainly be a good challenge," Debra added.  
"These baths are pretty effective."

Belle leaned in and whispered.

"I actually don't mind innocent girls. I think they're kinda cute."

"You like cute things?"

"It's a guilty pleasure of mine," she giggled like a schoolgirl.  
"After this you and I should cuddle and watch some Disney."

"Hey, Karen Smith," Sandra tapped her on the shoulder.  
"We can hear you, you know? And we know about how you like innocent girls."

"And you don't hate me for it?"

"We don't hate you," Debra sighed.  
"We just don't support it."

"Alright, enough," Lilith giggled gently.   
"Ro, sweetheart, the chlorophyll bath is on the left side of the screen door."

I looked over at it; it was a rather thin screen door, patterned with textured glass so that we wouldn't be able to see each other very well, but I felt like we'd be able to hear each other.

"You promise Mystic will be safe?"

"You have my word."

"Good," she answered nodding vigorously.  
"Because if I hear that you're giving her any trouble, I'm gonna make you pay."

I knew she was trying to sound threatening, but she said it so adorably that I couldn't help but smile. Lilith and the witches could barely hold back giggles as she escorted Envy to the left. Once she was on the other side, Lilith slid the door closed and began to draw the bath. She was mixing in a bunch of things that I couldn't really recognize, but I did hear "unicorn's blood" and I started to tear up.

"Don't worry, pet," Lilith consoled me patronizingly.  
"I'll tell your husband-to-be to get you a unicorn."

On the other side of the screen, I could hear Ro and Envy talking a bit as Ro tried to figure this out.

"'Fill to halfway with lukewarm water,'" she read slowly.  
"'Then mix with....'uh....Oh geez. I wish I had my reading glasses."

Sandra began to chuckle at this and I snapped.

"Shut up," I clipped defensively.  
"She's dyslexic. Cut her some slack."

Somehow that got her to stop.

"I could try to figure it out," Envy offered.

"If you want to."

"I mean, better you giving me a bath than Dr. Calvinstein."

She giggled cutely at this and I pursed my lips. Ro needed to share her adorableness.

Once she was done, Lilith turned towards me.

"Alright, sweetheart. You'll need to remove your clothing now."

I felt my stomach jump and my cheeks burn red, causing the witches to giggle, two teasingly and one endearingly.

"Shy, aren't we?" Lilith giggled.  
"How darling! Perhaps I should also convince the Cursed God to make you believe you're my daughter. You'd be perfect."

All of a sudden, we heard shouts and screams below us.

"What the hell was that?" I wondered, trying to see what was going on. 

Lilith grabbed me by the wrist.

"That's none of your concern, dearie. Your bath is waiting."

My cheeks were still burning red and Lilith sighed.

"How about we start with just your foot?"

I nodded and she helped support me. My foot was hanging just over the water when---

"Mystic, don't do it!"


	4. Red Cold

I whirled around as Penelope and a few of the others rushed in. 

"Mystic, don't get in that bath!" she ordered me.

Jumping from Lilith's grasp, I launched myself into Penelope's, trying not to wince in pain from my foot. Ro slid open the screen door as Envy came rushing out.

"Matt!" she cried in relief as they rushed towards each other, embracing one another, Safiya then jumping in as well.

Meanwhile Penelope had the glare at Lilith set to imminent demise, if only it could.

"Hand over the dark ashes," she growled.  
"Death is looming over the hotel."

Lilith merely chuckled.

"You can't save Candy Pop," she smirked as she pulled out her bag of dark teastones.

"Wait," Alice exclaimed.  
"How did you---?"

"Our little traitor informed me."

"Who is this god-forsaken traitor anyway?" Stella squawked.  
"It's been nearly sixty chapters since that became a plot point!"

"Where are these drugs you're getting?" Dooper yelled.  
"I want twenty."

Lilith reached out for me, but Penelope swooped me behind her, not realizing the witches were there. Before I knew it, Belle had me in an arm lock. From out of nowhere, it seemed, Penelope pulled out a teastone.

"I wish Lilith's dark teastones turned to ash."

A golden glow emerged, Lilith's arm drooped slightly indicating an increase in weight and a zap of electricity jolted her. This only made her cackle.

"Penelope, you are as naive as ever! You don't realize how much you helped us. The dark energy in those teastones is going to infect anyone it can. And I've had plenty of them saved up."

As she was speaking this, Penelope pulled out another teastone.

"I wish that the three witches were teleported far away from here."

I felt Belle's grip on me disappear as Lilith scowled at her opponent.

"We don't have time for this," Penelope informed her angrily as she pulled out a third teastone.  
"We WILL save Candy Pop. I wish that we had that bag of ash and immunity to the dark energy infection."

I felt a sort-of invisible protective layer form around me as the bag of ash slid into Penelope's hands.

"Enough games," Lilith hissed, pulling out her dark pocket watch.  
"It's time for you all to bow to the darkness."

"Everyone, run," Penelope ordered us. 

Matt, Safiya, and Ro, noticing I was struggling, grabbed for me. Penelope followed behind calling out wish after wish in defense. All the while, I felt something surge through me. My veins began to glow gold.

"What the hell's going on?" I panicked.  
"Am I dying?"

"I certainly hope not," Andrea R. gasped.  

I felt a warmth surge through my hands eradicating any pain. While I was being supported, I tried to focus on my foot. Sure enough, the golden glow sent itself down to my foot and healed it up. 

"What the----? How did I---?" I blabbered stunned. 

"I don't know," Penelope shrugged. 

All of a sudden, a dark cloud swirled around us, blinding us.

"What's going on?" Alice exclaimed.  
"I can't see anything!"

"Neither can I," Parris agreed.

"Something's happening," Matt panicked.  
"And it can't be good.

And he was right. It was at that moment, I felt a sudden hand grasp my wrist. Looking up, I met Lilith's sinister eyes and prepared to scream, but before I could even open my mouth, a flash of red hit me and I was out.

 


	5. Is It Too Late?

As soon as the cloud of smoke faded away, everyone tried to reorient themselves, but Leah let out a scream causing them to stumble briefly.. Whirling around, horror and dread filled them as they all saw the Cursed God by the angel bath, carrying an unconscious Mystic bridal-style with Lilith at his side. They tried to charge at him, but found themselves thrown back by a jolt of electricity.

"You fools," the Cursed God chuckled. 

Snapping his fingers, Nora, Safiya, and Ro were also instantly teleported to the other side of the forcefield, with the first two by Nicholas's side. 

"Did you not think I would be prepared for this? I've had over 40 years to plan everything for my love."

Penelope pulled out another teastone.

"And don't even think about using your pathetic little stones. They don't work on those beyond the barrier."

Turning around he slowly lowered Mystic into the waters of the angel bath, much to Penelope's horror. 

 _Okay, settle down, Penelope,_ she told herself, taking deep breaths.  
 _An angel bath isn't irreversible. You know that. And yet......_

If they couldn't affect those inside the forcefield, the forcefield itself would have to do. Discreetly she pulled out a stone and whispered.

"I wish the barrier between us and the Cursed God was broken."

There was a zap of electricity in between the two groups as the others charged at Mystic. Alice reached for her when she noticed Lilith wasn't trying to stop her. Neither was the Cursed God.

"Um, are you two still sentient?" she wondered.

"Oh yes, we are," Lilith giggled.  
"It's just......well, I suppose you don't want your precious Mystic to die, do you?"

"Die?" Ro exclaimed.

"Once someone is in an angel bath, they have to be tended to for at least an hour or they'll die. You see, an angel bath is quite literally taking the mind, heart, and soul of another from the vessel and purifying it within the waters. If the process is interrupted, the one being purified will die."

Hearing this, Alice backed down as the Cursed God sighed lovingly down at the tub.

"Soon, my love," he smiled fondly.  
"We'll be forever together."

Hearing this a shiver ran down everyone's spines. They tried to run away, but found that the other monsters, including the witches had returned and now they were surrounded. 

"Take them to the magic-proof dungeon," the Cursed God ordered.  
"Once the process is completed, I'll assign them to their new positions."

Trying to fight against them, the others found themselves being injected with syringes knocking them unconscious.

"You don't understand!" Alice cried as she struggled against Benjamin.  
"Candy Pop's dying. We need to get back and save him!"

"Oh? Is that so?" Calvin chuckled as he grabbed ahold of Envy.  
"Oh well."

And they were carried off.


	6. Total Rejuvenation

Rosanna trembled as she saw her friends being carried away by the various monsters. She tried to run after them, but the Cursed God grabbed ahold of her, bringing her in close.

"You know," he purred.  
"It certainly would be such a tragedy if she were to die in this, but if she does and I cannot bring her back to life, then you'll become my bride."

The little brunette began to shiver as the Cursed God ran a gentle finger over her face.

"Leave her alone!" Nora snapped.

"Enough of this," Safiya agreed solemnly.  
"You have Mystic. What more could you possibly want?"

"I don't have her yet," he corrected her.  
"Once she is purified, then I shall have her. But should she die, the spirit of Lydia Waverly shall pass on to the next innocent vessel, and it would so happen we have one here. But we also have a more fitting candidate down there."

Rosanna tried to back up, but the Cursed God maintained a grip on her.

"We're gonna be here for a while, aren't we?" Nora sighed.

"Most definitely," Safiya responded.

* * *

I awoke with a start, gasping for breath, to find myself in a cool misty-white wonderland. And for a brief moment, I felt a sense of relief. I'd just lost consciousness, right?

Something deep down within me, though, told me that there was more to this than what met my eye. If only I had learned how an angel bath was supposed to work Before I lost consciousness, Then perhaps I would know whether I should be afraid or not. 

Helping myself to my feet I took a look around to find that it was  **completely**  misty white. It seemed that there was not a single person or building within miles. And yet far in the distance I heard voices, Specifically The laughter of a young girl. 

"Hello? Who's there?" I called out, my voice echoing against nothingness  
"Come on! Show yourselves."

I attempted to remain strong, But the presence of nothingness, it overtook me with a complete and total fear that I could not explain. All the while the little girl's laughter haunted me as it echoed from within the distance.

"Enough of this!" I cried fearfully.  
"Please, show yourselves!"

As if to answer my desperate cry, the sound of skipping footsteps entered my ears. They became louder as I saw a silhouette Running towards me. I could just make her out once she was only about twenty feet in front of me. She looks quite charming with blond ringlets and a bow in her hair. Upon her person she donned a white gown and her feet carried white ballet shoes. 

 _Like out of a fairytale or a Tchaikovsky ballet,_ I remarked to myself. 

"Welcome, Mystic," she replied in an ethereal and sweet voice, one of a child's.  
"I'm Amelie. We've been waiting for your arrival."

I was quite taken aback.

"M-me?" I stammered.

She nodded and took ahold of my wrist.

"Come and follow me, your majesty," she said ecstatically.  
"Everyone's so excited to see you!"

"Wait. What?"

She didn't answer, simply pulling me along, skipping and laughing excitedly. About five minutes later, we arrived at a large white castle where hundreds of.....elves? gnomes? fairies? were chattering and laughing.

"Ladies and gentlemen!" Amelie announced.  
"The princess has arrived!"

Whirling around, they squealed excitedly as they rushed to my side. They were like little cartoon children, clamoring and tugging for my attention. 

"She's beautiful," one of them gasped.

"She's enchanting!" remarked another.

"She wooks just wike a faiwy pwincess," a little girl sighed adorably.

They all began to push me towards the other end of the room. I was utterly confused. 

"Where's Celestia?" I asked concerned.  
"Luna? Himiko? Kaede? Byakuya? Kokichi? Lydia Scamander? Violet Baudelaire? Where are they?"

I didn't get a response. They all kept pushing me to the throne. I tried to fight against the horde, but there were TONS of them. How was I, a twenty year old woman, supposed to fight against hundreds of ageless cartoon children crowding around me? 

It seemed they realized I was resisting because a few of them went to the front and began pulling me. And somehow I waited until now to start panicking.

"Hey!" I grumbled fearfully.  
"Let me go!"

I felt myself getting pushed into a white throne and steel cuffs grasped around my wrists and ankles. 

"I'm afwaid we can't wet you get away," the little girl replied creepily and slowly.

_How the hell did this escalate so quickly?_

"You're needed here," Amelie assured me.  
"You're the epitome of innocence, or at least you will be once we're finished."

She clapped her hands and two other.......at this point, I think they'd be gremlins.....brought out a tray containing several syringes full of pure white liquid, as well as various disinfectant wipes and another syringe with a pink serum inside. I began to tremble just from looking at them. I hate needles, like a lot. So just to see them was enough to send me into a panic. 

"W-what the hell are those things?" I trembled.

All of a sudden, I heard a small crack and saw that one of the syringes was beginning to leak out. The gremlins screamed and one went to fetch a spare. This gave me an idea, but first I wanted to hear what they were for.

"That pink one is an anesthetic," Amelie explained.  
"Once that settles into your veins, and you become complacent, we'll inject the white ones which will purify your mind, heart, and soul, making you the most fitting bride. And once you and papa are married, you'll be able to lower the barrier and we'll become your first thousand children."

"Well, fuck!" I exclaimed.

As I thought, a syringe shattered, causing glass to rocket in nearly every direction. 

_So these can't take profanity, huh?_

"Someone get the duck tape!" Amelie exclaimed in horror.  
"Quickly! We can't afford to lose many more!"

"Shit!"

**_CRASH!_ **

"Damn it!"

_**SHATTER!** _

"DAMNED PITS OF FUCKING HELL!"

Three more shattered.

"No more! No more!" Amelie gasped in terror.  
"If you use the bad words in this realm, you'll die in the real world."

"Then let me go," I demanded. 

I heard a beeping and I saw a timer counting down. Thirty minutes. What was that for? As I was distracted, I felt something prick my skin. One of the little creeps had injected me with the anesthetic. I began to feel woozy. 

"Get......away......you fucking.......creeps!" I slurred.

I heard the last one crack, but one went to grab it and shoved it into me. And horrifyingly enough, in my dazed state, I saw the demons bring in at least a dozen more. I could feel a cooling sensation in my mind and heart. I couldn't grasp onto any of the swear words to defend myself

"Stop! I......don't......"

But it was too late. Silence befell me, and soon darkness did as well. 

* * *

Up above, Lilith kept track of the time as the Cursed God looked down lovingly. There was now only a minute to go. Rosanna, Safiya, and Nora prayed that she would come out of this unchanged, while the other two prayed the opposite. 

"This is keeping me in suspense," the Cursed God panted in agony.

"Have patience, my Lord," Lilith assured him.  
"It's not much longer now."

"I can't wait much longer. I need her eternal sweetness."

Nora was tempted to yell out "hey, jackass. You've got the epitome of sweetness right here! Remember Rosanna?" but she bit down on her lip. 

"My Lord, I was wondering something."

"What would that be?" 

Lilith took a deep breath.

"Perhaps we could bring back what we promised all those years ago. You know, the reason we invaded Phoentia's realm?"

Hearing this, he chuckled.

"Absolutely! And the other one as well."

"Brilliant. Oh, one more thing!"

Lilith gave the others a devilish smile.

"I think we should bring Alice and some of the others up here," she suggested.  
"To really solidify the nail in the coffin."

"Mystic's strong-willed," Safiya told them as the Cursed God snapped his fingers, causing Alice/Ciel, Penelope, and Envy to appear in the blink of an eye.   
"She'll never succumb to your innocence drugs."

"Really? Then perhaps you should have one next," Lilith suggested.

"Keep away from Safiya!" Rosanna exclaimed. 

"And then Alice," she chittered. 

"Um, how about no?" Alice replied with a shiver.

All of a sudden, they hear the sound of a harp as Mystic rose to the surface. Her skin was practically flawless. Lilith grabbed a special white towel as the Cursed God used his magic to rise her from the tub, still in her white gown, only it was more flowing this time, as her hair, now a pure gold donning a white bow in the back, shone in the dim light. Her eyes fluttered open, now a crystal blue, as in they literally sparkled like crystals, and were as wide as an anime character's eyes, giving her a super cute and innocent vibe.

"Mystic, thank God, you're okay!" Penelope sighed in relief as she ran towards her.

But Mystic just stared at her, tilting her head in confusion.

"I do apologize," she replied in an airy sweet Southern belle voice.  
"But who are you?"

The color drained from everyone's faces as they heard this. And it settled in that not even she was immune.


	7. So I Am Confusion.....

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Why is this one Kansas, but this one is NOT Ar-Kansas? AMERICA, EXPLAIN! EXPLAIN! WHAT DO YOU MEAN IT ARKANSAW? WHAT---?
> 
> Okay, but really. Who the heck are you people?

Mystic felt extremely rejuvenated after that bath, but she felt her heartache when the woman who had proclaimed her okay looked.......crestfallen. A warm, genuine smile spread across her face and she wrapped her arms around Penelope.

"It'll be alright," she assured her.  
"I'm sure we'll become great friends."

Nora, Rosanna, Alice, and Safiya all had to consciously restrain themselves from squealing at the adorableness.

“She’s no one you need concern yourself with, my love."

The Cursed God stepped over and placed a hand on her shoulder. 

“Not  _yet_ , anyway…”

Mystic whirled around and looked up at the Cursed God in awe, before tilting her head.

"Wait, who are  **you**?"

The Cursed God clearly didn't expect this. 

"It's me.....your husband-to-be."

She blinked a few times and frowned at him.

"I don't remember agreeing to marry anyone."

Laughing nervously, he went over to Lilith and whispered a few things to her. Meanwhile this new Mystic grabbed Penelope's hand and gestured to the others. 

"Come on," she squealed eagerly, but quietly.  
"Let's go explore."

Everyone else was confused, but shrugging, they decided to follow Mystic anyway.

* * *

"I don't understand," he growled quietly.  
"She should be completely devoted to me by now. Are you sure you followed it correctly?"

Lilith nodded.

"To a T."

"Perhaps she needs another one."

"I'm afraid one can only safely receive an angel bath once a week. Perhaps if you want to make sure that it was correct, we get someone else from the group to use as a guinea pig. But who among them has a weak mind?"

They thought for a moment, but then the answer seemed to occur. He gestured to Lilith to recreate the bath. Once she was finished, he snapped his fingers and one of the other writers appeared.

"What the....? What's going on?" Stella twittered.

Lilith and the Cursed God smiled devilishly.

"Oh," Lilith chuckled as she flashed her hypnotic red eyes.  
"Just a little......experiment."

* * *

Once they were away from him, Alice dared to ask.

"Mystic, do you really not know who we are?"

"Not a clue," she shook her head.  
"But something tells me that this guy is bad news. I dunno if I can trust him just yet. I wanna, but I dunno if I can. I mean, I come out of this tub and all of a sudden, he proclaims I'm his love? Seems a little 'spicious."

"Well, does that mean you're still with us?" Penelope asked hopefully.

She pondered this for a few moments.

"I don't sense any malice amongst y'all, at least currently, so I'll say yes."

"Well, if you're quite sure," Penelope sighed.  
"We'll have to ask for your help. A friend of ours is dying and we need to plant these ashes to create two flowers, turn them into a liquid, and give it to him. Are you in?"

"If it means saving someone's life, of course I'm in."

"Just gonna warn you," Envy cautioned.  
"He's a demon."

"And that's a problem....how?"

"My goodness," Penelope exclaimed.  
"She really IS innocent. But luckily, Angel Baths  **can**  be undone."

She pulled out a teastone.

"I wish we were all back at the hotel."

And with a golden glow, they were flooded with light and soon disappeared.


	8. WHAT'S THIS? WHAT'S THAT? WHAT'S THIS? WHAT'S THAT? WHAT'S THIS? WHAT'S THAT? WHAT'S THIS? WHAT'S THAT? WHAT'S THIS? WHAT'S THAT? WHAT'S THIS? WHAT'S THAT? WHAT'S THIS? WHAT'S THAT? WHAT'S THIS? WHAT'S THAT? WHAT'S THIS? WHAT'S THAT?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which I become the love child of GIR from "Invader Zim" and Pinkie Pie from MLP: FIM.

As soon as they reappeared in the hotel, Mystic's already-wide crystal-blue eyes grew even wider and literally brought life into the hotel.

"Is this heaven?" she gasped.

Before Penelope could answer, Mystic ran off, looking at every tiny little thing.

"What's this do?" she exclaimed, her accent almost non-existent now, as she ran over to the front desk.

Her eye caught sight of the bell on the front desk as she rushed over to it.

"What's that do?" 

She touched the top of it and gasped when it dinged before touching it another hundred times, giggling all the while, and then moving onto touching/using another thing, almost at light-speed. 

Fireplace: "What's that do?" 

Luggage cart: "What's this do?"

Telephone: "What's that do?"

Fountain outside: "Ooh! What's it do?"

Elevator button, as she pressed it a hundred times in thirty seconds: "Ooh! What's this? What's it do?"

Waterslide at the indoor waterpark of the hotel: "Hey! What's this? What's it do?"

Hot tub: "What is this? How does this work?"

Grill in the kitchen as she plays with all of the knobs: "Hey! What's this?" [turns a knob causing a flame to launch high in the air] "Ooh. Can I touch this?" [reaches out to touch it. ROSANNA immediately pulls her away as SAFIYA turns off the stove]

[MYSTIC runs around the entirety of the hotel lobby while PENELOPE is 100% done with everything.] 

"When is she gonna run down?" Safiya wondered.

"Who knows?" Penelope sighed with her hand on her forehead.  
"But we need to plant these ashes soon."

After some time, the poor little thing runs herself tired. 

"Finally," Penelope groaned in relief.  
"Let's go plant and quick-grow the flowers."

She felt a tugging on her dress and looked to see Mystic yawning cutely.

"I'm tired, though. Can I take a nap please?" she asked Penelope sweetly, batting her eyes, her accent returning.

Try as she might, even Penelope's heart melted.

"Fine," she sighed.  
"Ro, I'm leaving you to look after her."

"She can't look after herself?" Ro wondered genuinely.

"No," Penelope asserted.  
"If we leave her alone for too long, she might accidentally set the hotel on fire."

Ro took a sleepy Mystic's hand and led her to the elevator while Penelope, Alice/Ciel, Safiya, Nora, and Envy headed into the back of the hotel to plant the dark wishblossoms.


	9. Meanwhile, Part 3

It'd been roughly fifty-five minutes since they'd taken Stella hostage. Now she laid inside of the tub demurely awaiting her rise. But the Cursed God was impatient. Either Lilith was at fault or his bride was strong-willed, but either way, she was going to become exactly what he wanted.

"Something bothering you, my lord?" Lilith wondered.

"You can tell?" he groaned.

"You've been rubbing your temples for the past ten minutes. Of course I can tell."

He took a deep breath as he took his hands away from his head.

"I....I never thought someone would overtake my whole focus as much as she does. Not since.........her."

"Well, they do look rather similar," Lilith assured him.

"There has to be another way she can safely become more innocent and devoted," he moaned in agony.  
"I need her now more than ever."

Lilith gave this some rumination.

"There isn't really an option," she sighed.  
"The only other way I can think of is if we inject her with the serum again, but mix it with some of your DNA."

"Then what are we waiting for?" he nearly screamed as he grabbed her by the collar.

"Um, my lord, we're waiting on......that."

She pointed to the bathtub. Three minutes left. Huffing he set her down and covered his face with his hands.

"I've had too many failures with brides in the past," he grumbled regretfully.  
"But not this time. Not now. I know exactly what to do to keep her with me forever. Lilith, am I going insane?"

"No, my lord," she assured him.  
"You're already there."

"Thank you," he replied sarcastically.  
"I certainly needed that."

"I thought a little humor would distract you," she sighed.

"Oh, Lilith," he moaned.  
"Nothing can distract me from her sweet innocence. Do you KNOW how long it's been since anyone has been a companion to me out of love and not out of fear or on an impersonal level?"

"Then why use an angel bath?" she wondered.

"It's supposed to amplify the sweetness, love, loyalty, and innocence that she already has in her personality. Nearly every other bride I had deceived me. But not her. No, she is pure. She IS the one. I KNOW she is. She's a rose in a field full of dandelions."

"I believe she has said multiple times that she does not love you."

"That's EXACTLY WHY she is so pure," he roared before pausing for a moment and sighing.  
"Nearly every other woman I've fallen in love with has pretended that they loved me, put up a front, only to stab me in the back once it's too late. But Mystic's ingenuous. Honest. She hasn't a filter for the truth. If I can get her to fall in love with me, I'll KNOW it's true love. That angel bath was supposed to help."

"And Alice isn't?"

"Alice...." he grumbled.  
"She's hiding things.....I know it. That's one reason I refused to switch her with Mystic."

"What were the others?"

"I don't love her. Not like I love Mystic."

All of a sudden, they heard the sound of a harp and Stella emerged. The Cursed God didn't care to use much of his power to bring her out, so Lilith had to take over. Stella came out looking just as ethereal and innocent. 

"How do you feel?" Lilith asked as she wrapped Stella in a towel.

"I.....I..." she began in an airy voice before she saw the Cursed God.  
"I feel wonderful."

Slowly, she approached him before falling to her knees before him.

"At last, we'll be together forever, my love," she cried happily.

Hearing this, the Cursed God felt a boil of anger. Why weren't those words coming from Mystic's mouth? It wasn't fair. Why was someone he barely cared for so easily to bring out the innocence and devotion of but not the one he truly cared for?

"Get her out of here!" he raged.

Stella trembled.

"Oh, my love! What have I done to anger you? Please tell me, so I can right my wrongdoings!"

"Your very presence upsets me," he spat.  
"Get out!"

Stella's heart practically shattered.

"But....but......" Stella choked.  
"But I love you."

"Well, I don't!"

With the snap of his fingers, he sent Stella back to her cell. Whirling around, he noticed that his love was gone.

"Where did she go?" he fumed.

"Since she's out of her magic-proof cell, I believe my double took the others back to the hotel," Lilith theorized.

"Then we must go there."

And with the snap of his fingers, off they went.


	10. Good and Bad News

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Did we just lose?

After what seemed like hours later, Penelope and the others took the elevator up into Mystic's suite, trying to ignore the stench of the decaying body parts of Arya and Celeste (yeah, apparently no one cleaned that up) out in the hall. They walked inside to find the two of them cuddling on the bed.

"Wakey-wakey, you two," she greeted them in a sing-song voice.  
"We have some good news."

Both of them, yawning adorably, sat up.

"How did it go?" Ro asked dazed.

Penelope kept her head down, but stepped aside as a figure limped inside. 

"Hey, Cinna-Ro," he smiled.

"Candy Pop!" Rosanna cried in relief as she ran to hug him.

"Is....is that the demon?" Mystic wondered.

This obviously took him by surprise.

"What's up with glasses girl?" he asked Alice.

"Something about an angel bath or whatever," she shrugged.  
"She doesn't remember us."

"What's this warmth in my chest?" he panicked.  
"I feel so tingly."

"That's affection, I think," Ro explained.  
"I think something in the bath did it. We've all been feeling the same way since she got out of it."

"Ugh, gross," he gagged.  
"I want more of it."

"Okay, so how do we get rid of the effects of this bath?" Safiya asked.

"Well," Penelope sighed.  
"I'd assume it'd be the same as how we got rid of that powder. I know it goes into the recipe for the angel bath."

All of a sudden, Mystic grasped her head and fell to the ground.

"What is it?" Ro gasped.

"I....I feel......a dark presence," she replied.

Envy hesitantly took a few steps back.

"No, it's not you Mr. Plantman. It's.....darker. And a bit red."

"Lilith," Penelope gasped. 

"You called?" a voice behind her whispered.

Whirling around, the others gathered around Mystic as the Cursed God and Lilith advanced upon her. Lilith pulled a long tube out and put it to her lips before giving a violent blow. 

"Ow!" Mystic squealed as she felt something stick into her neck. 

Carefully Ro pulled it out. It was a dart with a white fuzzy coating on it. All of a sudden, Mystic began to feel a bit fuzzy. Her face began to look more artless and innocent, almost like a porcelain doll. Stumbling around, she fell to the ground or would have if Ro hadn't caught her head. After a time, her eyes opened and she stood up.

"Oh my," she replied airily, her voice sounding like a fairy's. 

All of a sudden, she made eye contact with the Cursed God, and it was as Alice feared. She stood up and glided towards him before dropping to her knees, weeping.

"I'm so sorry," she cried.  
"I kept running away from you because I was afraid of the truth."

"Wha...what truth?" Alice choked.

"That......that.....I love you, so very much," Mystic begged desperately.  
"Oh, please do forgive me! I beg for your mercy!"

She bowed her head and continued to weep, but the Cursed God, who had a particular soft spot for her, reached out and gently pushed her chin up as he pulled out a handkerchief, drying her eyes for her. 

"There, there, my sweet flower," he coaxed her more gently than he'd ever sounded as he reached out and stroked her face.  
"You haven't the need to ask for forgiveness. You're to be my bride, are you not? And that is more than forgiveness."

She nodded.

"Oh yes! That is right! I am to be your bride," she smiled dreamily.

"Mystic, don't!" Alice called out.  
"It's a trick."

"No, it's not," she giggled.  
"He's very sweet and kind and merciful. What a lucky young girl I am for him to love me in return."

"Indeed you are, my treasure," he sighed lovingly.  
"Now shall I show you to the bridal suite?"

"Oh yes please," she gasped before turning to Lilith.  
"Mother, may I?"

"Mother?" Penelope gasped offended.

Lilith smirked at her double.

"Why, of course, my little angel," she told Mystic sweetly.

Picking her up bridal-style, she immediately cuddled up in his arms. He gave a smirk to the befuddled group as they disappeared.


	11. Never In A Million Years

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> would I marry the Cursed God......right?

The Cursed God and Lilith, along with a smiling, sleeping Mystic, reappeared in the dungeon, causing a scare to everyone. 

"What do you want, jerkface?" Dooper snapped.

"I'd start being a bit nicer, Mr. Williams," Lilith advised him firmly.  
"He's going to be your boss soon."

"Like hell he is!"

"LANGUAGE!" she snapped.

"Wait. What?" Nikita asked, confused.  
"We're all of age to swear, though."

"Not in front of this sweet little flower," the Cursed God exclaimed holding out Mystic.

"What are you talking about?" Manny gasped.

"Do you want the long or short version?" Lilith sniffed.  
"Doesn't matter. The point is that you've lost."

"Lost?" Matpat's heart sank.

"Mystic's heart belongs to the Cursed God's, now and forever. Once the ceremony is complete, she'll lower the barrier between fiction and reality and chaos will reign for all of time and beyond! But look on the bright side. You'll get to work for the sweetest and most innocent of all for all of eternity."

"You do realize we're all going to eventually die out, right?" Joey pointed out.

Lilith gave a chuckle.

"Not if we have anything to say about it."

"My Lord," Stella practically shrieked.  
"Please, I beg of you, marry me! I love you! I love more than I love my life. I would do anything to see you happy."

"Did you not remove the effects of the bath?" the Cursed God sighed at Lilith.

"My apologies. Shall I?"

"Eh. Wait a while. I want to watch her suffer more first."

"Gladly," she agreed before turning back to the group.  
"Now if you all would be so kind as to clean up your attitudes. I'm sure that some of the others who already work under my Lord may want you for themselves, which is fine, so long as you also serve under my Lord and Lady's rule. Anyone who refuses will be placed in suspended sentience until you agree to join us."

"Um, excuse me," Lauren piped up fearfully.  
"What exactly IS suspended sentience?"

Lilith gave this some thought.

"I guess you could think of it as having your soul be trapped inside of a shell or in a doll. You're aware of what's going on around you, but that's all you're capable of."

A shiver ran down everyone's spines.

"Now if you'll excuse us, my Lord and I have to attend to the bride-to-be."

"PLEASE," Stella practically roared in torment.  
"LOVE ME."

The Cursed God went over and stared into Stella's eyes for a few moments before finally whispering.

"Not in a million years will I love you."

And away they went, as she cried out in torture.

"This is fucked up!" Nikita snapped.  
"Mystic's under the spell of that crazy-ass God, we don't know what's up with Stella over there----"

Stella gave a cry of agony.

"---and we don't know where Alice, Safiya, Penelope, Envy, Nora, Rosanna, or Candy Pop are!"

"Last I heard, he was on the verge of death," Justine sighed as Stella shrieked out again.  
"I just pray to God it's only a rumor."

* * *

Meanwhile back at the hotel, the group was still left dumbfounded. Five minutes ago, Mystic had been relatively fine. And now she was with the man that was gonna cause the downfall of reality itself. They were all sort of locked in a silence for a good ten minutes as despair seeped into their veins. 

"We.....we've lost," Alice barely croaked.  
"We've lost Mystic. The world. Reality. Our lives as we know them now."

"Have faith, Alice," Penelope assured her.  
"There's hope yet."

"WHERE?" she bursted in a fervor of anger and frustration.  
"WHERE IS THIS HOPE YOU CLAIM IS COMING? BECAUSE I DON'T SEE ANY."

"I don't know," she spat back.  
"But it's better than if we just mope around."

"And delude ourselves from the truth," Alice spat back venomously.  
"That's all hope is."

"Hope is no delusion and you know it," Penelope snapped.  
"Anyway we have to go back."

"What's the point? We're just gonna lose her again."

"Not this time we're not."

"I'm kinda on Alice's side here," Candy Pop hesitated.  
"That dart seemed to be pretty damn powerful."

"Yes, but it doesn't mean it's permanent," Penelope winked as she pulled out a stone.  
"There is _still_ hope. I wish we were all back at the lair of the Cursed God."

A golden glow surrounded them and they found themselves in the dungeon where the others were hiding.

"You guys?" Joey gasped.  
"You're okay!"

All of a sudden, they heard a loud cry. They looked over and saw Stella, shrieking in agony. 


	12. On the Map

"LOVE ME! PLEASE!"

It was breaking her heart to see Stella in such agony, but Alice tried to remain strong. It wouldn't do anyone any good to fall into despair.

"It had to have been the work of an angel bath," Penelope sighed solemnly.  
"No other concoction would drive someone so mad with devotion."

"Then how is Mystic staying sane?" Nora wondered.

"It's because that devotion is being reciprocated. If he were to stop showing her affection, she'd go the same way."

"Think that'd ever happen?" Rosanna asked worriedly.

Penelope sighed.

"I can't say for sure. At this point, he's sending mixed signals, at least to us. To Mystic he's probably the only thing that matters now."

That thought was another that sent shivers up everyone's spines. 

"If only she was this devoted to us," Ines grumbled.  
"Then maybe she wouldn't have ran away from us so many times."

"But that's not who she is," Tristen remarked.

"How do you know what she's like?"

"I can see it in her. She can't stay in one place for too long without---"

"Yeah, yeah, yeah, that's great and shit," Envy piped up.  
"But if we don't snap Mystic out of this spell, none of us will be leaving THIS place."

"Well, what do you expect US to do?" Erica snapped.  
"We're the ones trapped in cages. Unless you've got the keys, you're on your own."

He turned to Penelope.

"Can't you wish them out of their cages?"

She sputtered at him for a good five seconds before replying.

"What part of 'magic-proof dungeon' did you not understand? These stones fall under that category of magic!"

"I was just making a suggestion."

"I know," she sighed.  
"But we're on a time constraint."

"Then let's just go to her ourselves," Candy Pop shrugged.

Everyone turned to him in confusion.

"You sure that'll work?" Safiya questioned.

"Hey, it's worth a shot. Now c'mon. Who the hell knows when this wedding's gonna be?"

Turning on his heels, he began to run off. 

"Hang on, C.P.," Penelope halted firmly.  
"We don't want to wander aimlessly for the next two hours. We need to come to a consensus and make an informed decision about where to go----"

"Or we could just look at this map engraved in the wall," Rosanna pointed out.

Whirling around, Penelope spotted a large map engraved in gold mounted on the wall of the dungeon. 

"Well, that's convenient," she remarked.

"Bit lazy, though," Erica shrugged.  
"I feel like the writer's not even trying now."

The group scanned over the map until they found a room labeled "Bridal Suite."

"Okay, so it should take us about fifteen minutes to get there," Safiya calculated.  
"If we go to the right and then......"

"How big of a lair is this?" Alice sputtered.

"This is just one of his lairs," Calliope pointed out.

"Geez, is this guy loaded?" Dooper spattered.  
"How can he afford multiple lairs?"

"He's a god," Bailey sighed.  
"I don't think he  _needs_ money."

"Okay, I think I know where we need to go," Safiya exclaimed as she took off.  
"Follow me."


	13. Cute Overload And A Victorian Christmas

Meanwhile, Mystic kept her eyes close, trying to concentrate as she held her hand out in front of a flower pot. Her hand was trembling as if she was straining against some force until she let out a gasp of frustration. 

"I can't do this!" she fumed as she put her head to her hands.  
"I've been trying for nearly an hour now, and I still can't make a flower grow."

The Cursed God placed a hand on her shoulder.

"I know you can do it, my love," he encouraged her gently.  
"It's just a matter of concentration."

"But you promised to let me play with puppies and kittens and bunnies when we arrived."

"And I will," he promised her as he gave her a kiss on the head.  
"But first you need to tap into your magic. Think of a happy memory."

Mystic tried to wrack her brain for something that would help, but she drew a blank.

"I can't think of anything," she sighed.  
"I feel like my life only began just over an hour ago. How can I have a happy memory?"

This was what he was afraid of. But now that that was the case, the Cursed God had no choice; he had to give her a memory of hers back. Placing both of his hands on her shoulders, he drew out a memory of her being cast as her dream role for a class.

"Now close your eyes and concentrate on the memory," he directed her softly.  
"Let it make the flower grow."

Huffing Mystic held out her hand to try again. The memory flooded her mind and she felt a sense of ecstasy flow through her. After a few moments....

"Mystic, my darling, open your eyes."

When she did, she couldn't believe them. Inside the once-empty pot was a blooming blue rose. She stared down at her hand in disbelief.

"I.....I made that happen," she stammered in awe.  
"I did that with......magic?"

"You did."

She whirled around, a twinkle in her eye. 

"I believe you promised ME something once I did that," she replied expectantly, blinking her doe-like eyes.

Chuckling he snapped his fingers and swarms of puppies, bunnies, and kittens appeared. Her heart swelled with joy and she bent down to snuggle with them.

"Now you enjoy, my sweet, precious lollipop," he told her, patting her head.  
"Lilith and I have some details to arrange for the wedding."

Snapping his fingers, he disappeared. She giggled as the animals snuggled up against her and licked her face. 

* * *

Meanwhile, Safiya and the others had seen a good majority of this happening. 

"I think I'm gonna be sick," Candy Pop groaned in disgust as he looked through the keyhole.  
"The Cursed God's turning into the Sappy God!"

"Yes indeed," Penelope agreed.  
"Either he really does love her or he's a very dedicated actor."

"What kind of creature like him would love ANYONE?" Envy wondered in disbelief. 

"I mean, he really could," Rosanna shrugged.  
"You never know."

All of a sudden, one of the puppies began to paw at the door. Mystic got up and opened it. She spotted the others and gasped.

"Hey!" she smiled.  
"You're here!"

She took ahold of Rosanna's wrist and pulled her inside. The rest of them followed suit to be swarmed by puppies, kittens, and bunnies. 

"Hey! Get these creatures off of me!" Envy grumbled as a few of the puppies playfully pulled at the vines by his feet.

Safiya went for the kittens while Ro found a French bulldog that looked a lot like Cookie. Meanwhile, Candy Pop was unfazed, and now Penelope was trying to restrain herself.

"Seriously?" he scoffed at her.  
"You can handle being interrogated by a Russian demon lord, but small animals are your kryptonite?"

"Russian demon lords don't demonstrate neoteny," she sniffed.

"That's probably gonna go on a t-shirt."

"Okay, there's definitely a story in there somewhere," Alice remarked.  
"And how did you know?"

"I was the reason she was being interrogated," he shrugged. 

"When did that even happen?"

Penelope pursed her lips in thought.

"I would say....perhaps a year or two after joining the Society."

"Um, have we already forgotten why we're here?" Envy pointed out.

Hearing this, they stopped what they were doing and turned to Mystic who was back on the ground being kiss-attacked by some Golden Retriever puppies. She sat up and stared at them with wide, innocent eyes, magnified slightly by her glasses.

"Mystic," Safiya began, trying to hold back squealing at the cuteness.  
"We're here to help you."

"With what?" she asked in a sweet breathy voice as she tilted her head.

"We're here to help you escape."

"Why would I want to escape? This place is magical!"

"Because of that Cursed God," Candy Pop pointed out. 

She tilted her head again.

"The who?"

"Your husband-to-be," Penelope clarified.

Hearing this, Mystic gave a lyrical giggle that made everyone have to mentally restrain themselves from reacting to. 

"That's a funny joke!"

"I'm afraid it's no joke, my darling. Your husband-to-be is a corrupted God and he's using you to cause chaos."

"Okay, THAT part's not funny. I don't think we're even talking about the same person."

"I believe we are."

Mystic folded her arms and pouted.

"You're not even giving him a chance. He's so sweet and kind and loving. I trust him with my life."

The last phrase sent a full-blown blizzard up Alice's spine. 

_That's Bad-News Bears._

"Once you're married to him, you're not going to have much of a life. He's going to make you immortal, spread chaos, and take over all of time. Unless you come with us."

"I think you're worrying too much," she giggled soothingly.  
"I'll show you he's sweet."

"No, that's not really necessar--!"

Clearing her throat, she called out in a sing-song voice.

"My love! I have some people who I want you to meet."

Before any of them could run off, there he was, hovering above her.

The Cursed God.

Alice was so tempted to just book it at that moment. She wanted NOTHING MORE to do with this dude, but she would NOT abandon Penelope and the others. 

"You called, my little lolly?" he asked in a smultzy voice as he pinched her cheek, causing Candy Pop to gag.

"These people don't believe me about how sweet you are," she pouted.

"Is that so? Perhaps I should call Lilith in and she can....testify to them."

_No thanks,_ Alice thought.

"Um, no thanks, we're good," Safiya replied quickly.

"Oh yes please!" Mystic replied happily, jumping up and down, clapping her hands.   
"Lilith's a very good speaker. She's very persuasive and very kind."

"Um, I really think we're good," Rosanna added.

"Oh? But then you won't see my little dove's perspective on the matter," he replied sadly. 

"Believe me, we're completely fine with being ignorant of it," Penelope coughed. 

"Well then at least stay," Mystic begged, her accent suddenly becoming....British?  
"And I can show you."

All of a sudden, they heard a slam and a click. Whirling around, they found that the door locked behind them. Penelope rushed over and tried to unlock it, but it was no use. 

"Mystic," she scolded, groaning as she attempted to open the door.  
"Open the door, this isn't funny."

"I didn't lock the door," she replied innocently her hair now curling into tight curls.  
"My love locked it."

"Why did he do that?" Ro asked until she heard her own voice; she now had the same dialect and her clothes were changing. 

"Mystic," Safiya asked with the same dialect and a lot of articulation as her clothes changed into a black velvet dress with a bonnet.  
"What in the name of sanity is going on?"

All of a sudden, snow began to fall from the ceiling in the room as it grew further away from them.

"Is the room growing?" Alice asked worriedly, her dialect now changed.  
"Or are we shrinking?"

From out of nowhere, a giant castle appeared in front of them. 

"Mystic," Envy replied, having the most shocking change of them all; he'd turned human and was quite handsome at that, while also having a British dialect.  
"Please do tell us what's going on."

"It's a Victorian Christmas, of course!" she replied in awe.

"But it's not December," Candy Pop whispered, uncomfortable with his new dialect as nature and candy began to pop up, the room being replaced by a little town.

Mystic gave another lyrical giggle.

"It doesn't have to be December for it to be Christmas, silly!"

She grabbed Rosanna by the wrist and pulled her as the town sprung to life.

"Now come along! We must get back to the castle before midnight, or else Father Christmas won't deliver presents!"

"What time is it now?" Penelope gasped, somehow even more British-sounding.

"Nought by 4 hours to, I believe," Mystic pondered.

"Then that should be plenty of time to look around, don't you agree?"

"Oh goodie golly gumdrops!" Mystic gasped, that sentiment causing Candy Pop to gag.  
"May we? Oh please say we may!"

"If you wish."

Mystic jumped up and down clapping and squealing with delight as Victorian winter clothes appeared on everyone, and for good reason. It was so cold now. 

"Then let's go!"

As Mystic skipped and ran off like a small child, Safiya leaned into Penelope.

"Why are you playing along?"

Penelope shrugged.

"We might as well, because I do not foresee us leaving anytime soon anyways. And she does seem quite happy, the happiest I've seen her in ages. Now let us proceed. I'm quite certain there is a lot she wishes for us to see."


End file.
